The present invention relates generally to dental implants and, more particularly, to a heal in-place abutment system including a healing cap adapted to be received upon a final abutment.
Implant dentistry involves the restoration of one or more teeth in a patient""s mouth using artificial components. Such artificial components typically include a dental implant and a prosthetic tooth and/or a final abutment that is secured to the dental implant. The process for restoring a tooth can be carried out in three stages.
Stage I involves implanting the dental implant into the bone of a patient""s jaw. The oral surgeon first accesses the patient""s jawbone through the patient""s gum tissue and removes any remains of the tooth to be replaced. Next, the specific site in the patient""s jaw where the implant will be anchored is widened by drilling and/or reaming to accommodate the width of the dental implant to be implanted. Then, the dental implant is inserted into the hole in the jawbone, typically by screwing, although other techniques are known for introducing the implant in the jawbone.
The implant itself is typically fabricated from pure titanium or a titanium alloy. Such materials are known to produce osseointegration of the fixture with the patient""s jawbone. The dental implant fixture also typically includes a hollow threaded bore through at least a portion of its body and extending out through its proximal end which is exposed through the crestal bone for receiving and supporting the final tooth prosthesis and/or various intermediate components or attachments.
After the implant is initially installed in the jawbone, a cover screw is secured over the exposed proximal end in order to seal the internal bore. The patient""s gums are then sutured over the implant to allow the implant site to heal and to allow desired osseointegration to occur. Complete osseointegration typically takes anywhere from four to ten months.
During stage II, the surgeon reaccesses the implant fixture by making an incision through the patient""s gum tissues. The cover screw is then removed, exposing the proximal end of the implant. The interior of the implant is thoroughly cleaned and dried. The surgeon then attaches a temporary healing abutment or a final abutment to the implant. Typically, the healing or final abutment includes a threaded post, which is screwed directly into the hollow threaded bore of the implant. To accurately record, the position the orientation and the shape of the final abutment, the surgeon can take a mold or impression of the patient""s mouth . The impression is used to create a plaster model or analogue of the mouth and the abutment and provides the information needed to fabricate the prosthetic replacement tooth and any required intermediate prosthetic components. Stage II is typically completed by securing a protective cap to the abutment with temporary cement. Alternatively, a conventional temporary restoration can be attached to the abutment.
Stage III involves fabricating and placement of a cosmetic tooth prosthesis to the implant fixture. The plaster analogue provides laboratory technicians with a model of the patient""s mouth and the final abutments. Based on this model, the technician constructs a final restoration. The final step in the restorative process is attaching the final restoration to the abutment.
In accordance with one embodiment, the present invention provides for a prosthodontic assembly for installing a prosthetic tooth. The assembly comprises a dental implant and abutment combination and a healing cap. The combination includes an implant body portion and an abutment portion. The implant body portion is located at a distal end of the combination and is configured to lie at least partially below a crest of a patient""s jawbone. The abutment portion is located at a proximate end of the combination and is configured to lie at least partially above the crest of the patient""s jawbone. The abutment portion comprises a flared portion, a shoulder portion and a final restoration portion. The shoulder portion lies between the flared portion and the restoration portion. A healing cap includes a body portion having a proximal and a distal end. The body portion defines an inner cavity which is sized and adapted so that the healing cap fits over the final restoration portion. The healing cap further includes a tissue retraction flange at the distal end that extends below the shoulder portion when the healing cap is coupled to the abutment portion.
In accordance with another embodiment, the present invention provides for a method for installing a prosthetic tooth. The method comprises inserting a distal end of a body portion of a dental implant and abutment combination into a patient""s jawbone during a first stage surgery, coupling a healing cap to an abutment portion of the combination, during first stage surgery, such that a tissue retraction flange of the healing cap extends below a shoulder portion of the abutment portion, removing the healing cap from the abutment portion during a second stage surgery, and taking an impression of the combination during the second stage surgery after the healing cap has been removed from the abutment portion.
In accordance with yet another embodiment, the present invention provides for healing cap for combination with a dental implant in a method of installing a prosthetic tooth. The healing cap comprises a body having a proximal end, a distal end, and a cavity thereon, sized and adapted such that the distal end will fit over an abutment, and into a mounted position with respect to the abutment. The abutment has a radially outwardly extending shoulder. The body further includes a tissue retraction surface, which extends distally of the shoulder when the body in the mounted position.
For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain objects and advantages of the invention have been described herein above. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such objects or advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention herein disclosed. These and other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments having reference to the attached figures, the invention not being limited to any particular preferred embodiment(s) disclosed.